Endless Road
by Annaliesmarie99
Summary: Reminiscence of all things beautiful and tangible and unending, all during one of the first occasions of the year with rather unexpected company.


**Theme:** Holiday/Fair

**Pairing:** H. Kahoko & Y. Azuma

**Beta: **C. Isabel**. **

**Dedication: **I normally choose not to dedicate my stories to people because this is for anyone who reads it. But this one is for silver starslin. Beloved girl, you rock my world. Tere bina kya karti main, I dunno. \m/

**Viewing:** Best viewed in font Candara, size 11. Because that is the font this story is originally written in.

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Endless Road

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Cherry blossoms, or sakura in Japanese, usually start blooming in mid November when autumn descends. By the time the Western traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah come to town, the pink blooms of the towering yet seemingly gentle cherry trees stand out quietly against the fallen snow, completing a picture -perfect winter scenery.

While summer is represented by the bright flowers of varied colors contrasting sublimely with the earth, sakura petals quietly hold their own without throwing too much contrast.

Come mid-January, and a sweet scent fills the air. It was the scent of unpaid holidays from offices and noticeable absences from school, all for hanami matsuri[1]. Kahoko, of course, went for the festival when she was in middle school. It had not been in Yokohama, but in her father's hometown of Okinawa.

Okinawa held many fond memories of her childhood. Her parents made it a point to visit said town every year, usually towards the end of the year. Although Of course, travelling from the Kanagawa Prefecture to Hokkaido regularly wasn't feasible financially as she belonged to a middle class family. But her parents made it a point to visit the said town every year, usually towards the end of the year; the look on her grandmother's face was being all worth it. When she was still quite small, her father would return to work and she would stay there till well past the Chinese New Year along with her mother and older siblings. Being of Chinese ancestry from her father's side, she had come to love the festivals as her own. Sometimes she had been lucky enough to stay long enough for hanami.

'_Now, though, this particular memory,'_ Kahoko thought seething, '_this isn't ever going be a good memory, for as long as I live!'_

Dressed to her own choice for once, but forced to accompany the same snobby two-faced scoundrel to Yaedake, she found that the trip was slowly turning into a nightmare.

Her grandmother, Asakura Haname-san, was a traditional and much renowned kimono-maker in Okinawa -a. And she was exclusive. Azuma had very conveniently invited himself to a kimono showcase, the first she had held in years. Seeing _her_ there after all those years in Okinawa was not only a surprise, but also served to reawaken some of the palpable feelings he had felt for her , back in his third year of high school.

A very nosy, clumsy and kind-hearted GE student had crept into his heart, slowly, poisonously.

He tried learning more about her from various sources. She wasn't born into a wealthy family, so to speak, albeit a prestigious and one and reclusive one. Her grandmother was one of the few kimono makers who still wove fully by hand. He found that one of the main reasons she had the kimonos hand-made, was because machine-made kimonos still needed a substantial amount of handiwork, so why not 'customize' each by hand itself?

So when he brought it up, she explained the reasons evocatively.

"Saved her money and made her revered amongst her clients, you see," said Kahoko, as they walked around the Yaedake Forest Cherry Blossom Park. "I personally think that , with her age, she'd better switch to machines. Not that she would have too much of a problem with it, since the house here has been fitted with the best and latest electronic gadgets, and besides, she is quite adept at them."

"Your kimono was woven by her as well, I assume?"

"Yes. She wove it for me for my birthday last year. As you can see," Kahoko indicated to her arms, opening them wide, "it's rather exquisite, and so I haven't worn it more than a couple of times."

"Personally, I didn't think you would be able to carry off okobo[2], let alone a full length kimono," interjected Azuma, smiling. "Don't you suppose it's rather misleading, plain zori[3] would have been quite alright."

Kahoko was getting irritated by the second. "I am glad I amuse you," she said in a sugary voice, and continued, "when you're born to a family who make kimonos, it is only natural that you learn how to carry off footwear such as these with kimono –and , yes, even these that normally a maiko would wear. Secondly, since you don't bother with mannerisms with me, Yunoki-dono, I grabbed the first thing out of the shoe closet and hustled to where your benign presence awaited me with absolute impatience," she finished.

Azuma seemed as unfazed as ever. "My, you haven't changed one bit. Moving on, are you happy with your place in life? Still being as hypocritical about your talents as ever?"

Kahoko could swear she saw red. "Yes," she breathed into the cold afternoon air, "I am most happy with my place in life. At least I believe in my own talents and know what would make me happy; unlike someone else I know, I don't have to be reminded that personal preferences and wishes matter most."

Azuma could only smile at her rising anger. He knew that the second he opened his mouth, she had turned livid, and was awaiting the perfect opportunity to lash out at him. He would be lying if he said he didn't get a kick out of it.

"One more comment from you, Yunoki-sempai," her voice brought him out of his reverie, "one more that pricks my skin, I promise to square you one in the jaw and you can spend the rest of the evening picking your bloodied teeth off the ground, _alone_."

Azuma couldn't help but chuckle as he replied, "My, even your temper has remained as impeccable as I can remember."

"Which is not much of a challenge I suppose," she finished. "God, you can be such a pain," she muttered to herself, pulling her haori[4] closed over her kimono.

"My apologies, Kahoko-chan," he answered back in a faux-loving tone. '_Pretence comes so easy to him,'_ she thought angrily.

"What is with the informal tone?" she harked.

His smile got wider in response.

"Dating someone?" he asked after a moment's pause.

"No, you?" she asked back.

"Why not?"

"I think I am entitled to the next question since you already had your turn. So are you seeing someone?" she asked confidently.

"Such impatience and persistence," he murmured softly. "No, I am not. Frankly, I find myself easily distracted from the goal at hand when I take into account such things."

"In other words, it's annoying."

"You know me well, Hino-chan," he responded, the grin back in place. It was the first proper and real smile she had seen from him all afternoon.

She stuck her tongue out at him. He gave a hearty laugh in return.

Kahoko was surprising herself with how civil she was being towards him and vice-versa after hours of bantering relentlessly.

"Seriously speaking, ever since my grandmother realized that no amount of persuasion, and violence and force would make me change my decision about taking up music professionally, she has almost let me be. For years, the dirty looks and criticism was all the support I got from her. Then, when I started with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra & and people would tell her at our Ikebana exhibitions that she had done a brilliant job at letting me pursue music and become a noted concert musician, she became more civil towards me. She still believes that I should marry a girl of good family, but she doesn't pressurize me on it. I guess that is all I can ask for," he said. Glancing at Kahoko, he added, "it's cold, you should close your mouth before your teeth freeze."

Kahoko had been listening to him agape for minutes while he talked. A few moments later, she said, "She knows that you will not tarnish the family reputation as she originally and wrongly assumed. But she still has her eyes on everything you do, albeit now she no longer doesn't comments and forces her rules on you as much as before."

"You have a working brain, I am glad to see."

She ignored the jibe and said, "You haven't talked about this much to people, have you?"

"Don't be so full of yourself. I do count Hihara-kun as a friend, and of course he knows about my situation with Obaa-san, all of it."

Kahoko smiled at him and said, "Well, it's good to see that you count Hihara-sempai as a friend. So even you can put your faith in someone; you, who is so untrusting and two-faced."

"Be glad you're not one of the deceived. I have –"

"— 'said this to you before.' Yes, I know. I can remember only too well."

Moments passed reveling in the silence between them, and admiring the blossoming sakura in the fading afternoon light. Kahoko spoke first.

"I remember enjoying the Motobu Mt. Yaedake hanami matsuri over the rest, because of the way the flowers arched over the streets from the trees, forming a canopy over them.; it was like announcing winter is here and is passing by you." She was holding onto Azuma's arm, and couldn't remember for how long she had been holding him.

She turned her face up to look at him. She could feel her face getting red. _'Good,' _she thought,_ 'at least this way I won't sneeze a hundred and five times again.' _

"Let's go to Himeji castle next time, alright?"

She completely bypassed the emotions part. _'Stupid hormones'_, she chastised herself.

If not for anything else, they could become good friends. Or so she hoped while she awaited an answer to her sudden question.

He gave her a kind smile, an elated one. It was one she was yet to receive from her overcritical sempai –not until today.

"Sure."

**Omake:**

"You should consider yourself fortunate to be in the company of a gentleman. The way you're holding onto my arm—well, it's not a wrench you use to fix things. But it is rather cold, and other than the vice-grip of your hand, it feels rather pleasant."

Then again, maybe not, she thought, turning livid.

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_Fin_

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** Notes and References: **

[1]. 'Hanami matsuri' literally translates to flower viewing festival, with 'hanami' meaning flower viewing and 'matsuri' meaning festival. Usually such festivals are sponsored by the temples, but they can also be independent.

[2]. Okobo are high heeled sandals worn by the apprentice geisha. They are held to the feet by thong-like straps which indicate their status. Red straps mean a new apprentice and yellow ones indicate someone who have almost completed their apprenticeship.

[3]. Zori are sandals made of straw or leather or cloth, and in modern times, of increasingly plastic material.

[4]. Haori is a hip or thigh length kimono like jacket which is worn both by men and women. It can be worn over the kimono in cold weather.

I debated between setting the story at the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri and Motobo Mt. Yaedake, and decided with the latter because Kahoko is someone whom I picture as being capable of appreciating natural beauty and having a greater affinity towards it than commercialized festivals.

I did have a few pictures in mind while writing down Kahoko and Azuma. It might not be quite accurate but here are the links:

http:/upload(dot)wikimedia(dot)org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Kimono_lady_at_Gion%2C_Kyoto(dot)jpg [ For Kahoko's kimono.]

http:/upload(dot)wikimedia(dot)org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Okobo(dot)JPG [ Okobo.]

Thank you for reading my work. Now, get off your lazy ass and **REVIEW**. :P

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©Annalisemarie99 & β-rights to C. Isabel.


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